toluene or dimethyldisulfide (DMDS)​. A preliminary bibliog. review allowed to select a silicone oil (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS) that seems efficient for VOC absorption, as well as for biol. regeneration. The aim of this work was to evaluate the performances of the 1st step of the process, namely the absorption step. The partition coeffs. of the targeted VOC in PDMS were quantified. The expts. permitted to demonstrate that the VOC have more affinity for PDMS than for water (partition coeffs. 267 and 36 times higher for toluene and DMDS, resp.)​. Nevertheless, the measured diffusion coeffs. of the VOC in PDMS are lower than those measured in water (∼30 times lower)​, which can lead to a lower efficiency of the process. Expts. were then carried out in a packed column pilot plant. As expected, efficiency increased with the liq. flow rate. In optimized operating conditions, toluene and DMDS are totally absorbed in PDMS for inlet gaseous concns. of ∼68 and 84 ppm, resp.